


Remember Me

by Beautiful_Dreams



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: I'm Sorry, M/M, a bit of todd/neil, charlie x neil, dalperry, ijustreallyshipnuwandawithneil, mentions of other relationships above, neilwanda, sorrynotsorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 18:41:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4190775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beautiful_Dreams/pseuds/Beautiful_Dreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically an altered version of Dead Poet's ;) And Charlie x Neil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Father

 

* * *

 

  Charles Dalton stared past the windows overlooking the grounds, hands shoved deep in his pockets, fists clenched. Floor-to-ceiling, his mother had insisted. Impossibly arched. It gave a much better view, she had said. He agreed, the view was spectacular. Curious things they were, snowflakes. Powdery and soft and delicate, clinging to branch and leaf with a sort of ethereal beauty that was not of this world. He remembered being five and discovering that an entire world lay hidden under that blanket. Squirrels stored their nuts in tree hollows, bears snored in comfy dens. That was the way it had always been and that was the way it would stay. Simple enough. Beautiful things are good. Except it wasn't. For all its beauty, the snow was cold. Cold and unforgiving, one mistake and it would cast its gelid grip on you, run its frosty fingers over your spine. Once you were out there, you were subject to its mercy and its mercy alone. It could starve you. It could kill you.

 

"Charles." 

 

"Father."

 

"Sit." 

 

The tension in the atmosphere was palpable. Charlie hesitantly sunk into one of the fine leather seats in his father's study, aware all the while of the brutal calm present on his father's face. It was the calm before a violent storm, he knew. A cheery fire crackled in the hearth behind Charlie, lending a sense of cordial warmth to the room though neither of its patrons felt it. 

 

The dark mahogany bureau shook then, capturing Charlie's attention instantly. 

 

"WHY CAN'T YOU EVEN FOLLOW SIMPLE DIRECTIONS BOY?!" 

 

Charlie bit his tongue. 

 

"Because they're stupid." 

 

"I DON'T CARE IF THEY'RE ASKING YOU TO SIT AND QUACK LIKE A DUCK, YOU KNOW DAMN WELL BY NOW WHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOU!"

 

"But-"

 

"BUT WHAT? You're pathetic. LOOK AT NEIL! MY LORD NOW THAT'S POTENTIAL! I always thought Tom pushed his kid too hard but maybe now I'll follow his example! Listen you little brat, if I get a single phone call from Mr. Nolan this year concerning your behavior, it's off to St. Rogers's Military School. Are we clear?" 

 

Charlie's eyes grew wide, he shoved back the leather chair forcefully and stood.  _Military school?!_

 

"No! I won't d-" 

 

His defiance was quickly stifled. The youth hadn't even noticed his father's hand fly up until it was too late. He staggered back clumsily, holding his red and smarting cheek while trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. 

 

"Get out. Don't you **_dare_** talk back to me Charles. You're already a disgrace to this family." 

 

The cold tone cut Charlie deeper than any knife could've.

 

This scene was nothing new, but that didn't mean he was immune to the pain. Years of this had taught him to hold his head up, as calmly and with as much dignity as he could manage. Weakness was forbidden, it simply wasn't allowed. One tear and he was done for. He walked stiffly out. 

 

The resounding slam echoed throughout the house of Dalton, sending several light fixtures swinging and rattling paintings. Then, silence.

 

In the lonely great hall, the grandfather clock ticked on. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Travesty. Horror. Decadence. Excrement!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything though I wish I did :'(

 

  As soon as the Phantom V rolled up to Welton, Charlie jumped off and tried to grab his bags but the nameless chauffeur was quicker. With the tip of a hat and a cloud of exhaust fumes, the car was gone before he even had a chance to say "Thank You".

The middle Dalton sighed heavily. Yesterday, after the lovely talk with his father, his younger brother and sister had cornered him in his room and pecked him with all sorts of annoying questions while his older brother and sister sat on his bed and tutted disapprovingly. At the same time. Eventually, he got so fed up he locked himself into the bathroom until he was certain that all four of his siblings had gone to bed. Finally, he could finally put all that bullshit behind him and just enjoy a break for once.

Charlie kicked a stray pebble lying on the gravel of the parking lot and appraised the school, it hadn't changed a bit -well except for that new paint job on that door over there but everything else remained pristine, untouched. Just the way he liked it. He couldn't wait to see Meeksie and Knoxious and Pittsie. But above everyone else, Neil. 

Five minutes later he was inside the main hall where his parents were waiting, of course they had gotten there first. 

He sat down gingerly to the left of his mother, as far away from his father as possible. She gave him a look of disdain over the top of her pearls but said nothing. 

"Charlie!" 

 _So it starts now_ , he thought to himself, instantly pulling up his mask. 

"Pittsie!" 

He hadn't even noticed the lanky boy seated behind him until now. A great conversation about what they did over the summer formed between them and Charlie was quite pleased at having found a friend even though his mind was somewhere else entirely. 

Across the room was that somewhere else. 

Neil Perry winked at Charlie, so subtly he would've missed it if he wasn't looking carefully enough. Before Charlie could go over though, the horrible bagpipe music stopped and Mr. Nolan began his yearly spiel. 

"One hundred years ago, in 1859, 41 boys sat in this room and were asked the same question that greets you at the start of each semester. Gentlemen, what are the four pillars?" 

Charlie rose and forced himself to look away from those eyes. 

"Tradition, honor, discipline, excellence." 

He stifled the urge to laugh, it was all so pompous and overblown. 

Mr. Nolan said a few more words that Charlie didn't really give a fuck about until he heard the words "...his replacement, John Keating." 

He perked up. A new teacher? New teachers were _extremely_ rare at schools like Welton because once a school knew they had a bonafide teacher that was getting kids into Ivy League schools, they'd pay any amount to keep said teacher. This could be an interesting year after all... 

 

"The ceremony was great as always." His father was always so polite, shaking Mr. Nolan's hand like he'd been awarded a noble prize.  

 

"I agree, sir." Charlie piped up after getting a rude elbow to the ribs and being forced into a hand shake with the old geezer. 

 

"It's a pleasure seeing you both again. You'd better be on your best behavior this year Mr. Dalton. I expect nothing less. 

 

"Of course, sir." 

 

* * *

 

 

He was grinning as he ascended the familiar spiraling staircase towards where he knew Neil would be staying. His mouth went dry when he saw the ugly notice stuck crookedly against the paneling. Stopping by the water fountain, Charlie scanned the list quickly and squinted his eyes at the horrible contrast. Who the fuck printed light beige text on brown paper?! Meeks was with Pitts as expected and Knox was rooming with someone he didn't care to know.

His heart dropped to his stomach when he got to the P's. Neil was rooming with someone named Todd Anderson, not him as it had been for the last 3 years. The possibility of not rooming with Neil never even occurred to him. Then he saw his own name. 

 

"Dammit!" 

 

He was fucking rooming with  _ **Dick**  _of all people. Great. Just fantastic.  

 

 _"_ _Shoot me now",_  he muttered under his breath. 

 

"Hey Charlie!" 

 

"Yeah, hi Charlie!" 

 

He turned to see Meeks and Knox bounding towards him like puppies romping through grass, grinning from ear to ear with matching cheer.

 

"Meeksie! Knoxious!" He tackled them both in a giant hug. 

 

Soon he had an entire crowd gathered 'round. Ah yes, it was good to be back. 

 

"Guess what! Neil did summer school!" Joseph, a boy in his class yelled as he passed them, always eager to spread rumors. 

 

"No way!" 

 

"That's what Cameron said! Go ask Neil yourself then!" 

 

Charlie would've scoffed if he hadn't known better. Summer school was always for the losers, people who couldn't keep up with Welton's rigorous standards. The words "Neil Perry" and "can't keep up" didn't belong in the same sentence. He reckoned that his best friend was probably forced into it by his father to get ahead. 

 

So when Cameron sauntered up to the group, suitcases in hand. Charlie couldn't help but shoot him an icy glare while the others shifted uncomfortably. 

 

"What's going on guys?" He chirped in that annoying know-it-all tone of his, completely ignoring his less-than-friendly welcome. 

 

"Neil's got the new kid." Brandon offered, subtly keeping his distance from Richard but unwilling to display it as blatantly as Charlie. 

 

"Are you serious? The stiff?" The redhead's snickers were anything but quiet. 

 

"Why do you care Cameron?"  Charlie felt a sudden urge to defend someone he hadn't even met. Or maybe he was defending Neil, he didn't know. He glanced down at the floor, scowl on his face.  _Well there goes my good morning._ Unable to tolerate any more of Cameron, he inwardly sighed and pushed his way out of the rowdy group, dragging a protesting Meeks and a complaining Knox with him. 

 

"Come gentlemen" He said, mimicking Nolan's previous tone of grandeur,

 

"We must pay the good Neil Perry and our new accomplice a visit!" 

 

* * *

 

 

 Charlie ambled up to the doorway slowly and just stared unabashedly at Neil for a few moments. He was Charlie Dalton, come on. 

 

"Rumor has it, you did summer school." He pointed at Neil after admiring a particularly nice view of Neil's  _Derrière_. 

 

Neil turned around instantly and Charlie mourned the loss of such pleasant scenery. 

 

"Yep. Chemistry. My father thought I should get ahead. How was your summer Slick?" 

 

_He wasn't trying at all. That was what got him every time.The sound of his nickname rolling off that effortless tongue nearly, so nearly caused him to loose his carefully composed facade right then and there. Oh and how he struggled to keep it, he hadn't realized how long it had been. Thus, Charlie believed his brief moment of paralysis was justified._

 

"Keen." 

 

His summer had been as far from keen as it could get, but nobody needed to know that. 

 

He mirrored Neil's grin with a seductive one of his own and stepped in, turning around at the last second. 

 

"Meeks. Door. Closed." 

 

"Yes sir." 

 

Having a personal servant was very handy sometimes.

 

His mind jumped onto a completely different train of thought when he realized there was another implication underlying his words. His smirk stretched wider. That would have to wait. 

 

Instead, he settled with settling on Neil's bed, making himself comfortable. Neil half-leaned on the radiator under the window while the rest of the boys plopped down anywhere they could. 

 

"Gentlemen, what are the four pillars?" 

 

"Travesty. Horror. Decadence. Excrement." Charlie had come up with it after the very first time he'd heard Mr. Nolan pose that question to the masses and it had since become a running joke that someone always asked when they met up again in the fall. 

 

Charlie decided that now was as good a time as ever to pull out a cigarette, he lit the cancer stick and settled back against the bed. 

 

"Okay, study group. Meeks aced Latin. I didn't quite flunk English. So, if you want, we've got our study group." He was directing the question to his beloved of course, they were the unofficial official leaders of their tight-knit group, everyone knew it. Their word was pretty much law. 

 

He was lying when he said he didn't quite flunk English, he had actually gotten 98 % in the subject, but being smart was seriously against his image. Damaging to his reputation not to mention. No one needed to know that either. 

 

Neil grinned at Charlie, resisting the urge to tell everyone the truth. The guy wouldn't speak to him for a week if he did that.

 

"Sure. Cameron asked me too. Anyone mind including him?" 

 

_Objection, your honor!_

 

"Hmm, what's his specialty, boot-licking?" Charlie couldn't hold back his sass. 

 

Neil frowned. "Come on, he's your roommate." 

 

"That's not my fault." He laughed the phrase, surprised that Neil had even brought it up. It was as if Neil thought it was his idea, as if he actually  ** _wanted_  ** to room with  ** _Dick_** of all people. Preposterous.  _  
_

 

A comfortable silence fell over the room until Meeks suddenly piped up. 

 

"Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Steven Meeks." Ever the gentleman, Meeks was. 

 

Neil rose and introduced the boy that Charlie had seen when he entered the room but was too weary to greet.  _Or perhaps disinclined to greet._

 

"Oh, this is Todd Anderson."  _Anderson. Anderson. Where had he heard that name before? Wait. He couldn't be related to **that**_   _Anderson could he?_

 

The guys introduced themselves politely while Todd quietly parroted their words back, looking a bit anxious.

 

"Charlie Dalton." Trademark sneer on full blast, Charles silently challenged the boy whom he suspected could and would become his brutal rival for Neil's affections. He saw right off that Todd was queer, the quiet ones almost always were. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something about the boy made his suspicion undoubtedly true. Plus, as the old adage went, it took one to know one. 

 

Todd Anderson could do nothing but look away quickly. The way Charlie looked at him with that knowing smirk, as if he could see through him like glass, was making him even more agitated than he already was. 

 

"Todd's brother was Jeffrey Anderson."  _He was right._ Charlie passed the cigarette as casually as he could to Neil, who put it to his mouth without hesitation, making Charlie Junior get just a little bit more excited than he should be. Which in turn, caused Charlie to shift a little bit to his side and cross his legs. 

 

"Oh yeah, sure. Valedictorian. National merit scholar." Charlie decided that the undermining was to begin now. 

 

"Oh well, welcome to Hell-ton." Meeks said, changing the subject and doing his best to make the new boy feel at ease. Charlie wasn't about to let him off that easily though. 

 

"It's every bit as tough as they say, unless you're a genius like Meeks." He tossed his head towards his ginger companion with as much attitude as he could muster. Why _**not**  _intimidate Todd a little while praising Meeks at the same time? It was a genius idea if he did say so himself. Poor Meeks jumped to the rescue again and fired back an explanation. 

 

"He flatters me. That's why I help him with Latin." A personal servant who was also a genius! And the price was only a few good words a day. Easy.

 

"And English, and Trig-"  

 

Neil passed back the cigarette just as Charlie began coughing uncontrollably, catching Neil's look of concern out of the corner of his eye. The latter furiously swiped at his nose in an attempt to stop the horrible hacking, only just managing to stifle it in time for a knock to sound at the door. 

The two sprung from their spots like a pair of trained ninjas; Charlie quickly stamped out the cigarette while Neil attempted to wave the smoke away in a perfectly synchronized dance. They've done this too many times.

 

"It's open!" Neil called. 

 

His father entered the room, immediately causing Neil to leave his position by the window. 

 

"Father, I thought you'd gone." 

 

The rest of the boys stood to greet Mr. Perry, Charlie pulled up a polite smile and even Todd pretended to care. 

 

"Keep your seats fellows, keep your seats. Neil, I've just spoken to Mr. Nolan. I think that you're taking too many extra curricular activities this semester, and I've decided that you should drop the school annual." 

 

Anguish.

 

There was no other way to describe how Neil was feeling at that moment. _After all those years of bribing and taking orders from superiors, his father wanted him to just drop it? Drop and forget about something he had worked so hard for?_ _  
_

 

"But I'm the assistant editor this year." 

"Well I'm sorry Neil." 

 

"But Father, I can't. It wouldn't be fair." 

 

He tried to protest some more but Mr. Perry cut his son off hastily for fear of making a scene. 

 

"Fellas, would you excuse us for a moment?" 

 

The rest of the room shifted uncomfortably. Neil looked around before hesitantly following his father out. 

Charlie however, did not shift. He sat as stiffly as a wooden plank and mentally restrained himself from either lunging at Mr. Perry for hurting Neil or dragging Neil back himself. He watched Mr. Perry with hard eyes, making every effort to keep that stupid damn polite smile on his face. 

As soon as they were gone, Charlie sneaked up to the opposing wall as quietly as he could, pressing an ear against the thin plaster that separated them. He was joined by the rest of the room's occupants. 

 

* * *

 

 

Charlie heard the hated footsteps fall away and stepped out, pulling up a smirk to cover his concern. He observed his love, leaning heavily against the wall and staring into space with hands shoved deep in his pockets. Neil worried his bottom lip in the adorable way that only happened when he was thinking very deeply about something; Charlie tried not to enjoy it. 

"Why doesn't he let you do what you want?" He blurted, there wasn't a trace of his usual bantering tone. Charlie almost never revealed his true feelings in the presence of others, especially for Neil. That was part of his mask. 

 

"Yeah Neil, tell him off. It couldn't get any worse." Knox came out of the door way behind Charlie, having heard everything.

 

"Oh, that's rich. Like you guys tell your parents off, Mr. Future Lawyer and Mr. Future Banker." 

 

Charlie thought back to the winter before. 

 

"Okay, so I don't like it any more than you do." He decided, not adding the words " _but your father doesn't slap you and want to ship you off to military school first chance he gets."_

 

"Well just don't tell me how to talk to my father. You guys are the same way." The easy-going smile is forced now. 

 

Charlie's smirk slowly melts off his face. An awkward tension settles over the trio. 

 

"All right, all right, Jesus. So what are you going to do?" Knox defends finally, raising his metaphorical palms. 

 

"What I have to do. Drop the annual." The words are every bit as dark as his expression. 

 

"Well I wouldn't lose much sleep over it. It's just a bunch of jerks trying to impress Nolan."  _And you're too good to be doing something so low._ Charlie tried to plea but Neil wouldn't hear of it. 

 

"I don't care. I don't give a damn about any of it."

 

Anyone with eyes could see that Neil  ** _did_** indeed give a damn, it was written all over his goddamn beautiful face for crying out loud.

 

It was then that the brunet himself realized how hung up he was being about the whole thing. He let out a weak chuckle and turned his head towards Charlie -whose eyes never left his face- to reassure his best friend that he was okay, a gesture that Charlie cautiously returned. 

 

"Well, uh, Latin, eight o' clock in my room?" Meeks offered, walking through the doorway at the perfect moment to end the silence. Everyone voiced their approval and Neil headed back into his room, patting Charlie on the shoulder as he went. 

 

The Dalton boy leaned back against the door frame and closed his eyes.

 

To everyone else it seemed to be a completely casual movement, caused by nothing but fatigue.

 

To Charlie however, it was a safe reaction.

 

For Neil had accidentally-on-purpose brushed against Charlie a bit too hard when he'd passed by. Lower regions were especially affected. This, combined with the heavenly scent of Neil's cologne sent Charlie sprawling for breath whilst biting back a throaty moan. Fuck. Great. Now he was literally within inches of shoving Neil against the nearest hard surface and having his way with the brunet.

Instead, he played it off coolly. Charlie Dalton had to be cool at all times, not doing so would breach his code of conduct; he did not miss the sweet little "thank you" that dropped from Neil's lips followed by an inaudible snicker. Low, so as to be meant only for his ears.

 

 

_Bastard._

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Confession

 

  "I'm telling you, we have to place it over there!" Meeks's shrill could barely be heard over the din. The redhead pushed past wailing first years and garrulous seniors alike, giving friendly pats on the back wherever he saw fit. Pitts followed behind obediently, keeping one hand on his Steven at all times. Thuds, shouts, and a startling amount of flying objects pervaded the halls as boys everywhere shoved and challenged each other, sliding down banisters -only to run in the opposite direction a minute later pursued by raging teachers who resembled charging bulls more than anything else. 

 

Neil sat on his bed in a relatively quiet room. He watched his roommate -one Todd Anderson, continue to religiously set his alarm clock. It was all just an act of course, a brilliant scheme to avoid conversation of any kind. 

 

"You've been setting that clock for half an hour now. I didn't realize that deciding when to wake up was so difficult. It's 5:45 sharp." 

Todd's head whipped around so fast he lost his balance and half-fell onto the table, taking the timer with him. _Ouch._ He hadn't even noticed Neil leave the bed even though noticing Neil was pretty much all he was doing during those 30 minutes. Yet there he was, peering over Todd's shoulder in a way that made the latter want to scream. 

 

He gaped at the brunet with puzzled eyes, answered only with a good-natured laugh as Neil breezily tossed his jacket onto the bed opposing Todd's and left the dwelling, along with a very chagrined boy. 

 

* * *

 

 

 Neil slipped out of the room quietly, laughing to himself as he pictured Todd's reaction.

 

The sudden slam of a door sent one cackling Charlie rushing out of the room he shared with Cameron and straight into Neil's waiting arms. 

 

Before he had a chance to ask, the poor fellow found himself being swept right along with this wave simulacrum. Dragged by the wrist behind someone who seemed hell-bent on getting away as far as possible, as fast as possible. 

 

"Escape now. Explain later." 

 

As if on cue, the redhead emerged from the open doorway, completely soaked from head to toe. He paused to push back a couple strands of stringy hair from his forehead. 

 

"Give it back Charlie!" Neil hadn't even noticed the tiny figurine that Charlie was brandishing. 

 

"Not until you admit it!" 

 

"I can't!" Cameron was quickly catching up. 

 

"What did you do?! It's the first day for goodness's sake! Charlie!" Neil breathed in and out, trying to control his exasperation.  _Breathe, Perry._   ** _Breathe._** He had taken to running after Charlie to find out what this entire ordeal was about. 

 

Just the running would have been enough to set everyone off but _**no,**  _Cameron had to start throwing random school supplies too as they flew through the hallway.

 

Meeks, Knoxs and various other boys stuck their heads out to watch this spectacle. Hoots and shouts were soon erupting from every dorm as the Weltonites placed bets on who they thought would get tired first. 

 

"It's clearly going to be Richard! The guy can't run!" 

 

"No! Charlie! Look at how much he's panting!" 

 

At this point, Richard was almost right behind Charlie, separated by a mere 3 feet. 

 

"Admit it!" 

 

"No!" 

 

The merry chase went on, they were almost at the kitchen now. 

That was the moment a convenient pebble decided to trip Charlie, who sailed past all the paintings of dead nobles like a rouge can of spaghetti, perfect arc and all.

He would've landed flat on his face too had Neil not swiftly wrapped an arm around his waist and steadied him.  

Cameron slid to a halt on the bare wooden floor and bent over in exhaustion, hands on his knees. 

 

"Give. It. Back." 

 

"Tell them or I'll tell them for you." 

 

For a second, Richard opened his mouth to complain. Then he closed it. A threatening shake of the figurine by one Charlie Dalton prompted him to open his mouth again. But like a stubborn fish he pursed his lips again. It was most entertaining to watch. The ginger boy made a reach for the little toy but Neil stepped in, shielding his love with a lanky body that was no less forgiving than a brick wall. Richard made another grab but deemed it useless. Admitting defeat, he said in a very small voice: 

 

"I may or may not have a crush on Todd." 

 

"What? Can't hear you!" Charlie smirked and crossed his arms, leaning into a slack-jawed Neil who hadn't taken his arm off his waist. 

 

"I-I have a crush on Todd!" The redhead's face now resembled the color of his hair. 

 

"Stop whispering! What are you trying to say?"

 

"I HAVE A CRUSH ON TODD!" 

 

Charlie held the figurine out; triumphant smirk threatening to split his face in two. 

 

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" The condescending words dripped from his tongue like honey against a backdrop of elevated hoots and wolf whistles and clamor as the boys separated to allow them through the main hall. 

 

A humiliated Cameron walked stiffly off to an undisclosed location -head ducked, fists clenched. 

 

Todd, upon hearing his name, poked his head out of his doorway. When he saw the retreating ginger he instantly drew it back. 

 

"Mission accomplished." 

 

The crowd quickly dispersed now that the show was over and Charlie sighed happily, dragging a still-shocked Neil over to the nearest alcove. Their school had plenty, though they probably weren't used for the purpose Charlie had in mind. 

 

"Now onto other business."

 

"Don't you **_ever_**   ** _dare_** do that again, love." Charlie growled lowly, dark-emerald eyes boring straight into Neil's light-chocolate ones. 

 

"Do what?" He quipped innocently, batting his lashes -all the while knowing exactly what felony he had committed. 

 

"This." 

 

In one fluid movement, Neil was completely pinned under Charlie, unexpected friction eliciting a delicious moan from Neil. 

 

Charlie smirked and backed off, leaving an unsatisfied Neil to suffer a most horrible plight. 

 

"Kitchen. 5 minutes,"

 

He tossed over his shoulder seductively before winking and sauntering away. 

 

 

 

 


	4. Food For Thought and Worms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOT MINE. Everything belongs to a genius otherwise known as Peter Weir.

 

  Exactly half an hour later, Neil stumbled out of the kitchen's backdoor with one shoe missing and hair that closely resembled a bird's nest. 

He made a mad dash around the corner only to run straight into a waiter, tackling him onto the worn wooden boards. Glass and wine rained from the sky like confetti. Neil ignored the gobsmacked look and muttered a fast apology, already pushing off the ground. Swollen lips and purple marks on his neck were not suspicious at all in an all-boy's school. 

He rushed into the chemistry lab a minute before class was set to start, having had to go back and change the "escaped convict" getup. He was Neil Perry. Straight-A Neil Perry. He didn't do tardiness, unlike a certain Dalton. 

 

Charlie sauntered into the classroom like he had all the time in the world, making no effort to hide his less-than put-together appearance and earning equal shares of disgust and admiration. 

He casually plunked his books on the desk in front of Neil's and slid into the seat, dropping a textbook in the process. Whether or not that was intentional... is unconfirmed.

With a smirk, he bent over slowly -making sure to add plenty of emphasis on his backside- and plucked the book off the floor. Charlie turned and winked suggestively at Neil, setting the brunet's stomach into an explosion of butterflies before inquiring something of Knox on his right. 'Tis was how Neil spent the rest of class, clandestinely staring at the object of his affections against a backdrop of Mr. McGuyver's monotone drone. 

 

* * *

 

"Last class! Well, he doesn't look too boring. We'll live." Charlie quipped as he pulled out a chair at the very back of the room.   

 

Neil laughed and chose a better seat in the smack dab center of the room. He hadn't intended to at all, but every other seat was taken. 

 

They settled down and turned their attention to the man they had seen at the opening ceremony. Blatantly ignoring their curious gazes, he strolled casually down the aisle and out the door! Whistling, what was it? The 1812 overture?

 

"Well come on!"  

 

The boys looked at each other, then towards the corridor with confusion. A silent conference was in session. A silent agreement was made. The class seemed to break apart unanimously, grabbing their books and stepping into the hall to join this strange, new teacher by the glass cabinets -apprehension ingrained in every step. Neil stood near the back, waiting for Charlie to join him in observing this most unorthodox lesson. 

 

 "Not a clue? It's from a poem by Walt Whitman about Mr. Abraham Lincoln. Now in this class you can call me Mr. Keating. Or, if you're slightly more daring, Oh Captain, My Captain." 

 

 _Was this a joke?_ Knox performed a suspicious once over on Mr. Keating, he didn't seem crazy... Who did this guy think he was?

 

_Daring?_

 

That piqued Neil's attention. He had been brought up by his parents to always refer to polite company by the proper prefixes. When he was 6, he had accidentally referred to a client of his father's with the wrong prefix, Sir Loin instead of Dr. Loin, resulting in a week of lectures on the importance of respect. 

"Now let me dispel a few rumors so they don't fester into facts. Yes, I too attended Hell-ton and survived. And no, at that time I was not the mental giant you see before you. I was the intellectual equivalent of a ninety-eight pound weakling. I would go to the beach and people would kick copies of Byron in my face."

 

Pitts smiled despite himself. 

 

Neil and Charlie exchanged smirks. 

 

Cameron looked toward Todd to see how he was taking all this nonsense. To his surprise, the shy boy was paying rapt attention. The droopy-eyed, clock-watching lad that had undoubtedly been living in his own world for the previous 7 classes was gone without a trace. The redhead awkwardly resumed watching the presentation. 

 

"Now, Mr… Pitts. That's a rather unfortunate name. Mr. Pitts, where are you?" 

 

Lots of giggles. Pitts was used to people making fun of his name, it had started in kindergarten and hadn't stopped since. Just because he was used to it didn't mean it didn't hurt. 

 

"Mr. Pitts, would you open your hymnal to page 542 and read the first stanza of the poem you find there?" Everyone cracked open their books to the desired page. Charlie stuck his hands in his pockets and watched with wry amusement. 

 

"To the virgins, to make much of time?" 

 

Another smirk exchanged. Considering Charlie and Neil's recent activities, they were indeed "making much of time".

 

"Yes, that's the one. Somewhat appropriate, isn't it?"

 

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old time is still a flying, and this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying."

 

"Thank you Mr. Pitts. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." The Latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem. Now who knows what that means?" 

 

Of course Meeks knew the answer. His hand shot up like a rocket.  

 

"Carpe Diem. That's "seize the day." 

 

"Very good, Mr.-" 

 

"Meeks." 

 

Gerard had always admired the way Meeks could tell people his name without feeling embarrassed about it. The way Meeks was so comfortable with being himself, living in his own skin, was incomprehensible to him. That was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with him in the first place. Pitts also knew that Steven had most likely answered the question to take the pressure off him, a service he was most grateful for. He would repay his adorkable genius later in his room. 

 

"Meeks. Another unusual name. Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these lines?" 

 

"Because he's in a hurry." Charlie couldn't resist. 

 

"No, ding!"

 

Neil chuckled and looked over at his love, who answered him with a quirk of his eyebrows. 

 

"Thank you for playing anyway. Because we are food for worms lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die."

 

The smile melted right off Neil's face.

 

Because this strange man's words had triggered a memory.

 

Death had never been a stranger to him. 

 

_Sam. That was his name. He remembered his kindergarten best friend like a photograph. Blonde hair and blue eyed, he remembered thinking I've found my best friend! -The moment he stepped through the door. Many a happy afternoon were spent behind the old cloth puppet theater creating plays that they would perform with dolls or re-enacting famous ones from books. Twiddle-hammer and Mr. Frog, their first ever play, had been a smashing success.Their enraptured classmates gazed on in awe as the characters were introduced in turn, each sown to perfection by Neil's little hands.They oooohed as the treasure was discovered, gasped when the thief was unmasked and hooted with delight when the thief was caught._

_Then one day, Sam didn't come to school. Neil had thought he was sick, down with the flu or some sort. They got the call at exactly 9:17 am. Sam had been in a car crash. A drunk driver, speeding past the allowable limit, had hit their car in a front-end collision, he was killed instantly. Sam's mother was sent to the hospital because she was in "critical condition". All words he didn't know in tones he had never heard. Some adults came in wearing grey suits, they talked with his teacher for a long long time. A pint-sized Neil Perry looked up at his towering teacher with wide brown eyes and in a trembling voice, asked a single question._  

 

 _"_ _When is he coming back?"_

 

_His teacher shook her head, wiping back her tears and resting her hands on Neil's little shoulders._

 

" _I'm afraid Sam isn't coming back dear_."

 

 

And now what about all his friends here, and Charlie? What if, what they had now disappeared in a month? Gone in a week? Non-existent in a day? His smoking habit would only speed him faster to his death.

 

The realization hit Neil like a ton of bricks.

 

He vowed from then on out that he would get Charlie to quit no matter what it took. It hurt to look at Charlie knowing that his lungs were killing him ever second they stood there, but he was curious, so very curious.

He braced himself and darted a glance. To his surprise, Charlie was already gazing across at him, eyes mirthless and mouth set into a straight line. As if Charlie knew what Neil was thinking. For once, not a single flicker of amusement or pride marked his features. 

 

And Neil couldn't read his expression, another first. Charlie raised his eyebrows then, asking an inaudible question to which he got no answer. 

 

Neil looked away hurriedly and crossed his arms as if to shield himself from the penetrating gaze. He wasn't about to lose his control here of all places. 

 

* * *

 

"That was weird." Pitts maneuvered his hands carefully around the stack that seemed hell-bent on leaning to the left.

 

"But different." Neil chimed in, having recovered enough to be able to raise his eyebrows at Charlie again, the latter of whom was currently preoccupied with keeping his books afloat. 

 

"Spooky if you ask me." Knox announced behind them, frowning at the weight of all the books. 

 

"Think he'll test us on that stuff?" 

 

Charlie scoffed, leave it to Cameron to make everything into a homework assignment. 

 

"Come on Cameron, don't you get anything?" The condescending tone dripped from his voice like poison. No one scolded him for it either. 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Beginnings and Starts

 

  It was common knowledge that boys' locker rooms never smelled particularly great. Todd shifted the duffle bag over his shoulder awkwardly and peered down the shower hall. Each stall stood proud like soldiers before an inspecting general, their precious and limited reservoir of shampoo and soap displayed like badges of honor, enclosed on three sides by fine marble -the only exception being the door, which was simply a glass pane. Not as private as Todd would've liked, but he figured he could always use his spare towel to purchase that commodity. 

Examination over, he sat down on the hard wooden bench for lack of anything else to do. His eyes caught on Neil in the far corner; the Weltonite appeared to act nonchalant with his folded arms and expressionless visage, but Todd could see a spark of mischief in those chocolate depths as the boy checked left and right before snaking an arm around Charlie's waist. A trademark smirk burst like a beam of sunlight upon the latter's face, (seemingly without reason to anyone who happened to be watching, which currently included Todd), followed by an almost imperceptible lean into his assailant -who only tightened their embrace. 

The longer Todd sat, the further his mind wandered. He recalled a story his grandmother had once told him when he was fairly young; it had remained a favorite throughout the years because deep down, he was as hopeless a romantic as he was a soulful poet. The tale told of an invisible red string tied by the gods between lovers, drawing them closer and closer together by their ankles until the day they finally met and married as destined fate.

This string would keep them binded for as long as they loved each other, withstanding tangles made by hardships, jealousy and yearnful distances apart. 

 

It never broke. 

 

 

Perhaps thus was the reason Neil gazed at Charlie like that, with pure, blissful, loving, unadorned  _joy;_ Todd mused to himself. None of the other boys seemed to notice. The poet knew that they were best friends, but he suspected that something besides friendship was at play. For the time being though, he ignored it. It wasn't any of his business. 

Todd threw his bags in a random locker and leaned against the cool metal. He observed the rest of his classmates who, being boys, fooled around and pushed each other and laughed at idiotic antics. While he certainly appreciated Neil's invitation to get him more acquainted with the students at Welton, he simply couldn't act the way Neil could. **Be** the way Neil could. Outgoing and lovable and acing everything he set his sights on. None of these words were even remotely in his vocabulary. Knox forcefully yanked open the latch on the locker next to Todd, startling the boy out of his reverie. 

 

"Finally. A break from the mental torture. Lucky us." He sighed, sounding terribly excited as he stowed his things away. 

 

"Y-Y-Yeah, but it's gonna be an hour of p-physical torture." Todd stammered, trying his best to be social. 

 

Knox snorted. 

 

"If Hellton's six-hour homework loads can't kill us, I doubt anything will by now." 

 

He walked out laughing before Todd had a chance to respond.  

 

* * *

 

"Let's go boys, hustle up in here. That means you Dalton." 

 

 _Hair this perfect needs TIME!_ Charlie almost shouted at the top of his lungs, holding the comb above his scalp with expert precision as he regarded his reflection in the mirror. He hated being told what to do and when to do it. Well he actually hated being told anything by any authority figure, really. Neil reached over their shared sink to splash some cold water on his face, flinching a little when it made contact with his skin. 

 

"Okay, who's up for a trig study group tonight guys?" Meeks asked as he rounded the corner, rubbing the water out of his hair and followed closely by Pitts. 

 

A chorus of "Me"s followed. 

 

"What?" Charlie said, still not having gotten over the coach's comment. 

 

"I can't make it guys. I have to have dinner at the _Danburry's_ house." Knox quipped, placing emphasis on "Danburry" as he walked out from the lockers. 

 

"The Danburry's? Who are the Danburry's?" Pitts wanted to know, shaking his hair like a wet dog -much to the annoyance of everyone around him. 

 

"Big alumns. How'd you swing that?" Cameron, of course, knew everybody that was anybody. And also quite a few nobodies, come to think of it. 

 

"Friends of my Dad's. They're probably in their nineties or something." 

 

"Ooh!" A break from their usual half-cooked repast? This was huge. Charlie resumed styling his hair, shoving his envy down with pertinent force. 

 

"Anything's better than Hell-ton hash." Neil said, voicing his thoughts. 

 

"I'll second that". 

 

"Yeah we'll see." Knox replied, ending the conversation by ducking out the entrance. 

 

Neil, noticing that Todd was sitting all by himself, went over to give the boy some due company. The latter was glaring down at the tiles with a ferocity Neil hadn't known he possessed. He didn't appear to notice Neil's arrival, so the latter decided to snap his fingers to gain the boy's attention. 

 

"Hey, you coming to the study group tonight?" 

 

"Uh, no, no I, uh, I've got some history I wanna do." 

 

"Suit yourself."

 

Neil couldn't hide his irritation. Here was Todd: a human being fully capable of socializing and making friends, yet he never took the risk, never acted on impulse, never made the effort. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't even try to help this newcomer? He was the type to do everything and anything for his friends -yet Todd seemed hell-bent on screwing him over with his _reluctance to live._ Yeah. He went there. He just couldn't understand why someone would willingly shut themselves away like that. 

 

Neil stomped back to Charlie, who merely raised his eyebrows in silent inquiry. 

 

 _I'll tell you later,_  he promised.

 

The way they could communicate with just their expressions was fascinating to Neil, even after all this time, it was just as titillating as the first time. Like their own secret code, this one featured only eyes, eyebrows and lips. Nothing else was required. He loved it when they did this, loved reading and sending those witty, unspoken remarks to his best friend in the presence of other people without anyone having a clue of what they were really saying. Adored the way his best friend could quickly decipher anything Neil threw at him. Relished the fact that a quirk of an eyebrow could convey amusement, while the same quirk paired with a smile could mean consideration, but if you kept the eyebrow quirk and adjusted the lip positioning slightly downwards, the whole signal denoted disappointment. It was safe. Familiar. 

 

They changed and left together without a word. 

 

* * *

 

 The hour had been long. Too long. Filled with boring places and boring people and boring stories, why couldn't history be as fun as English? He glared at the generals with their too-proud miens, scowled at the simpering soldiers who accepted their awards with pride. It was all gone anyways. Gone and over and never to be repeated down the course of generations. Every feat, every genius breakthrough, every eureka! came and passed in a moment. One single moment. Todd couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Those fools had made their parents proud for something he could never do and he didn't know whether to feel envious or glad. War wasn't very easy to come across. His father had always wanted him to join the military, serve the country and come back a hero while having perfect grades and a social life -just like Jeffrey. But he wasn't Jeffrey. The commanding officer kicked him out within the first week. His grades were worse than Charlie's and his social life was pretty much non-existent. It was yet another reminder of how he would never live up to anyone's expectations.

 

Two small raps drew Todd's attention to the door, a momentary distraction from his mental rant. He hadn't been expecting anybody since he had told Neil  _quite clearly,_ (okay maybe not that clearly) that he'd wanted to study. Alone. 

 

He dropped his worn history textbook onto the desk in defeat and yelled, 

 

"Neil, I-I don't want to go to your study group!" 

 

"It's not Neil." An unexpected voice answered. 

 

He didn't know who he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't Cameron.

The redhead entered with caution and in doing so, unintentionally raised the temperature within that room by fifty degrees. The door shut behind him without a sound. The way he saw it, Todd was some kind of rare, breakable, china; he'd better tread lightly in case of damage. From the rosy blush that colored both their cheeks, it was evident that the incident from yesterday hadn't slipped anyone's mind.

For a few moments, they just stared at each other. It was a game of statues by the 5-minute mark. A stupid and idiotic and brainless reaction yet neither seemed motivated to snap out of it.

 

A crow squawked indignantly from somewhere outside; the clock never seemed to tick more loudly than it did in those few critical moments and Todd felt himself cracking.

 

He brushed his fringe out of his eyes and glanced off towards his neatly-made bed. The phrases he could say swirled around his conscience, turning and twisting,  _what are you doing here, leave me alone, if this is about that..._

What came out of his mouth however, was, 

"I thought y-you were studying with th-them."

Todd hated it when he stuttered, it made him feel stupid at times and was plain mortifying at others. When he had to present a spoken commentary on Romeo and Juliet last year, he could swear the experience was akin to being held at gunpoint -leered at by hundreds of Chester students with only a quivering sheet of paper to defend him. His thoughts were snapped again by Cameron, who had sunk onto Neil's bed almost punctiliously. 

 

"I got bored, they're a bunch of idiots anyway." Small talk. Alright. Two can play at that game. 

 

"Oh I don't think t-think that... They seem really smart, M-Meeks especially." 

 

"Well they're not. They just pretend to be so they can impress people."

 

Todd looked up at the ceiling and groaned internally. He didn't know what to say. This, this social interaction, or whatever it was called, was painfully grueling and in that moment, he wanted to bury himself in a hole in the ground and never come out.

 

"But-"

 

"I'm sorry for calling you a stiff! Really!"

 

 _ **What.** _ Todd had to take a few seconds to wrap his mind around _what the hell just happened_. 

 

"It's fine." He promised uneasily; still unsure of his visitor's motives. 

 

"Look, you're probably wondering why I'm here. It's just that I wanted you to know that you've got potential, alright? Maybe not as much as me but you'll do okay at Welton. You're smart. People like you, and... I kinda like you too, Todd." 

 

Yup, Todd officially felt his peace of mind floating off towards high heaven now. He hadn't expected Cameron to just go outright and _say_ it. Yet here he was, cheeks almost matching the color of his hair, hands held behind his back with a stiffness he didn't think was possible. Of course, Cameron was already internally beating himself up for saying such a stupid thing but it wasn't like he could just take back his words. Grab them straight out of the air. To what extent Cameron liked Todd was explicit just from his tone. The implications spoke louder than his words. 

 

"Uh, t-thank you." He finished off the reply with a slight laugh, hoping to break the tension that now loomed heavily in the air. It worked. 

 

Within seconds, they were both grinning like idiots. 

 

"Well, do you want to meet me by the lake tomorrow at six? I hear it's pretty nice for studying." Cameron couldn't help the blush that somehow reappeared on his face whenever he looked at Todd. 

 

"O-okay."

 

It wasn't much, but it was a start. 

 

As soon as Cameron left, Todd took out a pen and scrawled "CARPE DIEM" across the smooth, blank surface. He _wanted_ to try, Neil didn't understand. He just _couldn't._ He couldn't approach people, people always approached _him_. It had always been that way. Maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be so hard now. 

He balled the paper up, chastised himself for being so sentimental then flung it across the room before opening his Chemistry textbook. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took two months. It's my favorite ;)


	6. The Chance Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know how Knox's encounter with Chris went so let's go hang with the other Poets...

  Neil whistled softly as he hunted for the fine pen he kept, amongst various other things on his desk when the phone rang. Automatically, he picked up the receiver and caught it between his shoulder and cheek to free up his hands to continue his search. 

 

"Hello? Neil Perry speaking." 

 

"Hello Neil." 

 

The searching stopped, with the boy paying rapt attention to the black plastic handle. 

 

"Father! Erhm, what do you need me for, sir?" 

 

"Well as you know Neil, it's soon to be Thanksgiving and your mother and I thought it would be a nice change to bring over friends. What say you, Neil?" 

 

"Ah, well sure! How many can I bring?" 

 

"No more than five. We don't want the house in shambles at the end of the night." 

 

"That sounds great. Thank you, father. I look forward to seeing you both again." 

 

"That's my boy." 

 

"Goodbye." 

 

He awkwardly dropped the apparatus back on its black cradle and ran a hand through his hair. 

 

* * *

 

Neil took a deep breath and walked into study hall.

Cameron looked up and gave him half a smile before knitting his brows back together to focus on his algebra. Meeks and Pitts sat together on the far side of the room, putting aside their invention just long enough to wave -with Pitts dropping a piece and swearing when he bumped his head on the table whilst trying to retrieve said piece. Meeks laughed and picked up the bronze gear with deft fingers, swatting his confused lover affectionately over the head. Another cluster of boys took over the couches, forgoing their homework in favour of getting a dart through a rubber skeleton's crotch. 

 

The young Perry heard a wild laugh from behind and half-turned around, only to be tackled to the floor by one Charlie Dalton. 

 

"What took you so long?" 

 

Neil found it slightly difficult -well actually nearly impossible- to get a coherent sentence out what with Charlie's nose rubbing against his neck like that. He giggled in surprise when Charlie just happened to nudge a sweet spot right below his earlobe. 

 

"I... Father called. He s-says Mother wants me to bring over a few friends for dinner this Thanksgiving." 

 

Not moving from his spot on the carpet, Charlie nipped Neil again and chirped, 

 

"Am I invited?" 

 

"Of course! He said I could bring fiv-." 

 

He stopped. Charlie had disappeared into thin air. Okay, he was actually currently in the process of dragging a fretting Meeks and grumbling Pitts over to where Neil was waiting patiently -still sprawled on the ground.  

 

"They're invited too, right?" 

 

Charlie grinned like a proud puppy who had just fetched the morning news. 

 

* * *

 

 _Why does trig have to be so complicated?_ Charlie squinted at the tiny theta marked near one of the angles. He could do Geometry. Fine. He could even do advanced Algebra. Okay. But he would not do both Geometry and Algebra at the same time on the same problem. He absolutely refused to. 

 

"No! X goes here! You're figuring out the tangent for this problem, not the sine. You've got them switched! Just replace these numbers here with "x", for "x" and "y."

 

"Of course." Neil said, instantly realizing his mistake. 

 

"Of course, so what's the problem?" 

 

Charlie swore under his breath and glared at the back of Cameron's head; the only person allowed to chastise Neil was him. He opened his mouth and was about to retort something cutting when... _  
_

 

 

The door opened. 

 

Everyone turned to watch Knox come in and lean against the hard wood, jacket slung over his shoulder. 

 

"How was dinner?" Charlie wanted to know. 

 

Huh?

 

"How was dinner?"

 

"Terrible. Awful."

 

Knox abandoned his spot by the door and walked slowly to towards the group, slumping into a chair as if all the world was resting on his shoulders. 

 

With a sigh, he began his woeful tale, lowering his voice for the occasion. 

 

"Tonight, I met the most beautiful girl in my entire life." He paused for emphasis. 

 

Richard cracked a smile, now this was something good. 

 

Neil thought so too. 

 

"Are you crazy? What's wrong with that?" Wasn't this a good thing? Not that he would know... 

The others murmured in agreement. 

"She's practically engaged. To Chet Danburry." 

 

The words dropped heavily. Charlie looked pointedly at Neil, who had a puzzled expression on his face. 

 

"That guy could eat a football." 

 

Neil's eyes lit up in understanding. 

 

"That's too bad." Pitts said politely. 

 

"Too bad? It's worse than too bad Pitsie, it's a tragedy. A girl this beautiful in love with such a jerk." 

 

"All the good ones go for jerks, you know that." There was a brief moment of peaceful silence before Cameron interrupted with his know-it-all tone. 

 

"Ahh, forget her. Open your trig book and try and figure out problem five." As if love could be so easily forgotten. 

 

"I can't just forget her Cameron. And I can't think about trig." 

 

Pitts smiled sympathetically then jumped as their radio suddenly emitted a high-pitched squeal. He gestured excitedly at it and prompted Meeks to don his headset. 

"We got it!" 

 

"Holy cow!" 

 

Then Mr. Hager walked in. 

 

"All right gentlemen, five minutes. Let's go." His trademark boom could be heard by all the room's patrons. Within seconds, the room was a flurry of activity as students packed up their things or tried to shove their way out the door. 

Charlie, feeling mischievous, leaned closer to Knox. 

 

"Did you see her naked?" 

 

Knox frowned.

 

"Very funny Dalton."

 

Mr. Hager peered curiously at the contraption resting in Pitt's hands.

 

"That wouldn't be a radio in your lap, would it Mr. Pitts?"

 

"No sir. Science experiment, radar."

 

Meeks held up the antenna as if to backup Pitt's claim. 

 

* * *

 

 

Charlie lay wide awake on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Across from him, Cameron snored lightly, mumbling something in his sleep before turning over to face the wall. 

He couldn't sleep. He didn't know why. Like an advancing thunder storm, there was a heaviness to the atmosphere, it was just hanging over his head yet he had no idea what the hell it  _was._ He tried counting sheep, he tried thinking good thoughts, he'd even snuck a glass of milk somewhere between 1 and 2 am but it was no use. His eyes stubbornly refused to close. 

Following the shadows with his eyes, the distant streetlights cast beautiful yet strange shapes on the walls and Charlie watched, fascinated. But this would not do. Making up his mind, Charlie tugged his thin blanket off the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders like he used to do when he was little. Superheroes had to get their capes somewhere. The boy hissed slightly when his bare feet made contact with the freezing floor but persisted on, fully swinging his body over the side. Tip-toeing, he managed to make it across the room with limited creaking, passing by Meek's and Pitt's silent room with ease. 

When he approached Todd and Neil's room though, he paused. The sounds of the night were even more pronounced here in the great hall, with it's vast echoing emptiness. Charlie liked being loud, but the quiet held a special sort of awe, a peaceful, never-ending thing not felt during the day. He slowly twisted the doorknob -taking care not to let it squeak, and went in. 

Inside, Todd slept much like Cameron had slept except Todd had his nose buried halfway into his blankets -cocooning himself with the sheets as if for protection. He smiled and turned to Neil, almost gasping when a beam of moonlight hit Neil's visage at a very precise angle, highlighting his sharp cheekbones and full lips that were just the slightest bit parted. 

It was like a dream, and Charlie moved as if he were in a dream. 

Entranced, he hovered over Neil's slumbering form, unable to resist placing both hands on either side of the pillow to admire him better. Every sharp line, every curve defined itself as part of the masterpiece and Charlie was the beholder. 

With an unexpected bout of inspiration, Charlie dropped to his knees and whispered a line from Shakespeare, willing Neil's closed lids to stay closed. 

 

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love is as deep; the more I give to thee the more I have, for both are infinite." Ending his impromptu soliloquy with a chaste kiss on Neil's soft lips, he tiptoed back out, finally feeling drowsy enough to sleep. 

 

What he hadn't seen was the faint curve that had somehow found it's way onto Neil's visage. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D It looked November-ish in the movie. It's Thanksgiving.


	7. Wouldn't You Know?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I've been away from my bae for a pretty long time :D Fear not! This will be finished! Eventually! Haha  
> Here's Chapter 7 my beautiful people ;)

 

 "Charlie! Where is it?!" 

 

"It _was_ on the table!" 

 

Neil frantically flipped over every stationary object that dared inhabit his and Todd's room. The latter was now backed against the wall with sheer terror, turned away from the darkening window with wide eyes. The pair had just randomly appeared in the dorm -as if from thin air- and started this mad rampage, this wild goose chase, this strange hide-and seek that made no sense, forcing Todd from the tiny desk. It was horrifying enough to see the rate in which their room was turning into a jumbled disorganized mess; but more chilling to watch Neil himself, flicking previously treasured items off his desk as carelessly as he would flick off a speck of crumb or dust. A sleek black fountain pen. A half-empty pack of prohibited cigarettes. Charlie's of course. Todd's half-eaten sandwich sat precariously in the middle of it all, a lone ship on the water, all by itself on the edge of the shaking oak, threatening to topple any second. He watched with longing as it teetered back and forth like an indecisive old woman, leaning forward now, bending back just before the momentum would've ended its life. Rinse and repeat. Entire stacks of due homework were jolted off like nothing, flying through the air. Not even the dying clanker of the lamp on the wooden floor was enough to slow down Neil's rifling. Charlie, on the other side of the room, was searching just as fervently. Tossing this, throwing that. Mirroring Neil and leaving no stone unturned just as his counterpart was doing, he dropped Todd's blanket in his haste. The new boy could only watch in stunned silence. It was, in short, hectic chaos. 

 

"Goddammit! Where could they be?!" 

 

The brunet ran a hand through his tousled hair, pausing in his wild hunt to survey the room. Huh. It was in a worse state than he thought. Did they do that?

 

Oh well.

 

He couldn't think about that shit right now. His father was going to pick up him and the other five in exactly 15 minutes and he had all but one thing. His. Freaking. Damn.

 

Glasses. 

 

Neil walked up to the nearest wall and slid down against it, head in his hands. Oh God. His stern father was never a minute late, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he always expected Neil to be punctual too. _Your worth starts plummeting the moment they start pacing._ Even to this day, his father's warning stuck like resin in his head. He was _certain_ he had left them on the table too, but now they had vanished. Disappeared. How could that be possible? He had _just_ used them to look over some trig a few hours prior and when he'd come back, they were gone. Not a trace. Charlie frowned, and the expression pulled his eyebrows down _just so_ into a little furrow -something Neil had always found adorable. Even now, he couldn't help smiling. 

 

"What's got you looking like that Charlie? You aren't the one who can't see." It was a light tease, considering the dire situation they were in. 

 

The latter blew his fringe out of his eyes as if for emphasis and sat down heavily next to Neil, knees against his chest. 

 

"Every time your father visits something goes wrong. And you get the shit for it." He pouted so adorably that Neil found his cheeks lifting as well. 

 

It was true. They'd already had too many close encounters with cigarettes and playboys and they weren't all too eager to do it again. 

 

Neil decided to give up the search then and there. It wasn't worth it. What was worth the precious time he had before his doom was lying right beside him. 

 

"C'mere." It wasn't a request, it was an order. Charlie gracefully ducked his head into the crook of Neil's neck, accidentally brushing a sweet spot on his lover's jaw in the process. Neil gasped quietly. It was a practiced and familiar move, a position they'd assumed many times before. And so they remained there, still as a pair of resting swans, each content to just  _be_ for a while _.  
_

 

 They had almost forgotten about the whole ordeal when...

 

"Wh-What are you guys e-even looking for?" Todd's faint voice eventually drifted into their collective stream of consciousness from his spot by the window. He was still terrified, but at least the fierce rummaging had stopped.

 

This time it was Neil's turn to frown. 

 

"My father's coming in 5 minutes now and I can't see for shit. Jesus Todd. What do you think I'm looking for?" 

 

"Aw c'mon Neil, it's not his fault." 

 

In response to the chastising, the lanky boy just sighed and grazed his arm across Charlie's stomach, as a child would a teddy bear. He knew he had no right to take his anger and frustration out on the boy but he was just so  _anxious_ and _exhausted_ and maybe just a little bit scared. His negative feelings had always evaporated when he had held his Charlie close but now they attacked him relentlessly, refusing him a moment's rest with the imminent danger of his father lurking on the horizon. He let his gaze wander absentmindedly for a while, pondering his impending doom and the ticking clock on the wall above was only making it worse.

 

Slight rustling outside alerted the room's inhabitants of a visitor and sure enough, the silhouette of a black bird soon settled on one of the branches, beginning to sing its nightly song. Between the repetitive ticking and the shrill unearthly tones of music, Neil wanted nothing more than to throw himself on his bed and just sleep. Preferably with his current teddy bear; already, his eyelids were starting to droop. In short, he was tired and it was late. 

 

 

Suddenly, he lurched forward, the momentum nearly throwing Charlie off. Because one black plastic tip was protruding, barely noticeable, from underneath the mattress of Todd Anderson. 

 

* * *

 


End file.
